Chapter 27 – (Title is a spoiler, so it’s given at end of chapter)

Within the fog, the shadow continued walking towards their direction.

Seeing the figure approach them, Calron felt slightly nervous, as he had come to learn by now that misfortune seemed to follow him everywhere.

Even Fatty seemed a bit jittery with the current atmosphere. He could instinctively feel that someone with a powerful aura was coming towards them.

*clack* *clack*

The sound of a wooden stick hitting against the ground echoed in the quiet road.

“Eh? I’ve heard that sound before…could it be?”

Just as Calron muttered to himself, a figure soon emerged from the fog, revealing his features.

“Master!”

Calron exclaimed, as he saw the wrinkled face of Elias slowly being illuminated under the moonlight. His silver hair was neatly tied in a ponytail, and his white robe glowed with the same luminance as the gentle moon above. The fog started to disperse away as he stepped out of it, and he continued to walk towards Calron and Fatty.

Seeing his Master, Calron felt both elated and confused. His Master did not like to come out in public and moreover, he had often reminded Calron to keep their relationship completely hidden from others.

This was the only reason why he still had not disclosed anything about his Martial Arts training to Fatty. In the sparse time they had spent together, both boys had unknowingly developed an unbreakable bond. They did not know much about each other’s past or history, but their souls were naturally drawn to each other, as if they shared a similar fate.

Fatty was the most shocked out of the both of them. Calron had just called this old man in front him, “Master”, so how could he not be surprised? Furthermore, the man was completely blind!

Even in the dark, Fatty could clearly see Elias’ opaque grey eyes and the click clacking of the wooden stick against the ground. Only blind people had cloudy eyes, as their vision was impaired.

“Big brother, did you just called him ‘Master’?”

Fatty spluttered hesitantly next to Calron.

Realizing his sudden blunder, Calron felt foolish as he had just revealed the deeply kept secret between him and Elias. Glancing towards his Master to see his reaction, Calron felt mollified by Elias’ next few words.

“It’s fine, Calron. He would have found out sooner or later. Besides I need him to know now.”

Elias said with a slight smile as he finally arrived in front of the two boys.

Baffled by his Master’s words, Calron just stood there while pondering what Elias meant.

“Roran, I can cure you of your sickness.”

Just those few words uttered by Elias shook Fatty’s world!

Never mind the fact that the man already knew his name, but his sickness was a closely guarded secret that not even the entire Axier family knew!

Fatty’s hands trembled as he subconsciously staggered back a few steps.

“H-How did you know?”

Fatty asked with a quiver in his voice. His sickness was his greatest weakness and if others found out what it actually was, he would be treated worse than trash!

Paying no attention to the changes in Fatty’s behavior, Elias calmly responded.

“Because I am the same as you.”

………………………..

“Report!”

A cold voice commanded the man kneeling in front of the dais.

“My Lord, Master Dane has agreed to take the little lady under his tutelage for the next few years. We have talked with the School Head, and Master Dane should have no troubles staying at the Red Boar School during that duration.”

The assassin stated in a stoic voice.

“How did Felice take the news?”

A frosty voice inquired, as its owner slowly stood up from his seat. The tall man turned towards his side and looked out the window, while the assassin continued to kneel on the floor.

A pale full moon gently floated in the starry sky. Below, the calm wind embraced the leaves on the trees as it softly swayed in the night.

“Little lady was most pleased when she found out that Master Dane would be tutoring her in Martial Arts. His reputation is indeed quite renowned.”

“Hmm, I’m glad.”

The moonlight shone on the man’s face, revealing his grey hair and trimmed beard. A pair of piercing cobalt eyes gazed at the scenery outside the window, as several creases appeared near his eyes.

“How is he?”

Suddenly, a gentle whisper sounded from the grey-haired man.

Noticing the sudden change of tone in his Lord’s voice, the kneeling man knew whom his Lord was referring to.

“He is well, my Lord. He gets bullied often, but his spirit never wavers. As per your orders, we won’t interfere unless his life is threatened.”

“Does he get to eat good food?”

The Lord asked with a slight smile on his face, which the kneeling man obviously could not see as the tall man was facing away from the assassin.

Not understanding the humor in the grey-haired man’s question, the assassin did not know how to respond.

“Yes, my Lord, the school provides meals for all its students.”

“Haha, I doubt that rascal would be satisfied with such plain food!”

The Lord laughed as he started reminiscing the memories of his son growing up.

Meanwhile, the assassin knelt there with his mouth wide open.

He had never seen the Lord laugh so openly. Lord Mort was known for his cold and domineering personality, as he rarely smiled or laughed.

As if remembering something, the assassin added.

“My Lord, recently he has been spending time with a new friend.”

The grey-haired man turned his head slightly at the new information.

“A friend huh? I hope you stay well, my son…”

The Lord whispered so softly that even the assassin could not hear the last few words.

…………………….

Standing at the side, Calron was utterly confused about the conversation between his Master and Fatty.

Sickness? I didn’t see anything wrong with Fatty until now, and he seems perfectly fine to me. What is Master talking about?

While Calron’s thoughts raced around in his mind, a different scene was occurring between Fatty and Elias.

“Yes, Roran, I’m also an Element-Less.”

Elias serenely stated while his opaque grey eyes gazed at Fatty with an unnatural glow. Under that intense scrutiny, Fatty started to doubt whether this man was truly blind or not.

Silence.

Calron was stunned! Fatty was an Element-Less?

Calron thought back to all the time he spent with Fatty, and realized that he had not once seen him release his essence! Even when others bullied him, Fatty would never fight back, and Calron had always assumed that it was due to Fatty’s inherent nature, but it seemed now as if that was far from the truth.

However, Calron also recalled the moment today at the public execution when Fatty released an ice-piercing aura! What was that then?

Fatty had his eyes wide open as he stared in shock at Elias. He had been secretly hoping that this strange old man would be mistaken, but this man really knew his secret. How?

He turned his head and looked at Calron’s stunned face. Feeling isolated and alone, Fatty hung his head in dejection.

“But yours is a different case, Roran. You still have your core within you! Only your spiritual veins were forcefully harmed. If the pathway from your core to your veins can be reconnected, then you will no longer be an Element-Less.”

Elias stated in a serious tone.

Hearing the old man’s words, Fatty felt a seed of hope sprout inside his heart. Would he really be able to cultivate? He had long ago given up on any shred of desire to ever feel the touch of essence.

When he was five years old, Fatty was suddenly afflicted with a deadly illness and was bedridden for several weeks. The healers of the family said that he was poisoned, and that he would not be able to awaken to his element when he turned eight years old. It was because his spiritual veins were forever crippled.

Back then, Fatty was too young to realize what that meant, but as he grew older, he understood why he was so different from others. He subconsciously thought of himself as weak and gave up on trying to fight back against the bullies.

Essentially, he was what they called an Element-Less. Someone who was even lower than lightning cultivators in the social chain.

“Y-you’re telling the truth? I can really awaken to an element?”

Fatty felt as if his heart would burst with uncontainable joy at this moment. Although he liked to goof around and appeared to be unconcerned by the bullies, in the deepest depths of his soul, he thirsted for power. This once long extinguished desire, had now reignited again into a blazing inferno!

“Yes. If your physical body can undergo a transformation, then all of your spiritual veins will be regrown and connected to your core again.”

As Calron heard those words from the side, he felt his heart beat wildly against his chest.

He had a feeling that he knew his Master’s next words.

“Roran, you will be the second Inheritor of the Blood Legacy.”

Chapter 27 – The Second Inheritor